Trial by fire
Inside the Aquabase, the rangers were in the female ranger's room, discussing how they decided to have their current job.
"And what did your family say?" Dana asked Kelsey.
"'What are you crazy?!' Everyone said that to me when I was younger. I always answered 'you have no idea'. I mean, the rush you get just hanging a thousand feet under the cliff!" Kelsey sat between Chad and Joel.
"Check this out. When I was eight, all I ever wanted to do was to fly like a bird. So, I built myself a set of wings and jumped out my second story window"
"Well, that's not just crazy. That's stupid" Carter joked. The others laughed as they gathered their things and left the room. As they walked, Dana turned to Carter.
"How about you, Carter? Did you always wanted to be a firefighter?"
"No, not really. Until one night when…" Carter stopped talking. He started thinking back to the night when he was rescued from a fire.
"When, what?" Chad asked
"Oh, nothing"
"'Nothing'?! What's the matter, Carter?"
"Yeah, tell us" Kelsey begged
"Rangers to the training area immediately" Captain Mitchell announced over the speaker. Carter used that as an excuse to not tell the others, he ran to the training area. The others growled and ran after him.
Soon, the rangers were out in the training area.
"Alright, now get moving"
The rangers ran off. Chad and Joel ran through an obstacle course. Kelsey and Dana saved the life of a baby. Carter was shooting targets. As soon as he completed it, Captain Mitchell inspected the place.
"Carter"
When Carter was away from the others, the captain dropped the bomb.
"You had had the fastest time, but the lowest score"
"Lowest? What do you mean?"
Mitchell turned to him and sternly said "you need to think with your brain before you use a blaster"
"But sir, I hit every target"
"That doesn't mean anything, you didn't think it through. Sometimes, the obvious choice is not always the right choice" the captain left Carter.
"Alright, let's get back to the Aquabase"
Skull Palace
The demons were viewing the previous battle.
"The Lightspeed Megazord is very powerful" Loki commented "If we want to destroy the city, we must destroy the megazord"
"Yeah, otherwise Queen Bansheera will not be happy when she sees the city is still standing"
"Mama" cooed Impus
Vypra appeared on the screen.
"If you want to destroy the ground, you do it from the ground up"
"Excellent idea, Vypra!"
An earthquake occurred. Inside the Aquabase, everyone felt it.
"That can't be an ordinary earthquake" Captain Mitchell said to himself "Red alert!"
The rangers suited up and drove the Rover rescue into Mariner Bay. At a parking ramp in the city, some batlings were hammering quake spikes into the ground. Every time they struck a spike, an earthquake happened. Vypra was supervising.
"Faster!" she ordered "With these spikes, I will destroy Mariner Bay!"
"Not if we can help it!" Everyone turned and saw the rangers run down the stairs.
"Hello, rangers. I'm Vypra and I'm so glad I met, now I can destroy all of you!"
The batlings sheathed their swords and attacked the rangers. Carter went after Vypra. At one point, Vypra grabbed one of the spikes and ran up the stairs. She came into the parking lot.
"Get out of my way, humans!" she fired at them. Carter jumped over her and stood in front of them.
"That's enough, Vypra" Carter and Vypra fought until Carter drew his blaster and pointed it at Vypra.
"Put down your weapon" Vypra backed into a wall but then she saw a barrel containing explosives. That gave her an idea.
"Put your weapon down"
"As you wish" Vypra lowered her sword to the ground and shot at the ground. A fire broke out. Vypra used it as a distraction to get away. Carter noticed the ceiling was collapsing.
"The ceiling is coming down! Those people are in trouble. I've got to help"
"No, put the fire out first" Captain Mitchell ordered.
"But sir, I have to get these people out of here before it's too late"
"Just follow my orders!"
"Alright" Carter switched his gun to extinguisher mode and put the fire out before it could reach the explosives. But then the roof collapsed on top of a mother and her child. Joel and Dana got the boy and his mom to safety while Carter just stood there in shock.
What have I done? I let that boy get hurt! Chad and Kelsey came up to him.
"Carter, are you okay?" Chad asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. But then, Carter knocked it away and ran off.
Carter went back to the Aquabase and headed straight for his room. He stood for a while but then he started pounding his fists into everything, his bed, the wall, etc. After he unleashed all his anger, Carter collapsed on his bunk and just laid there. A while later, a knock was heard at his door.
"Sir, I don't want a lecture"
Dana came in "It's just me, Carter"
"Oh sorry, I thought you were someone else" Dana sat down on Carter's bed and Carter sat next to her.
"Are you ok?"
Carter shook his head "I let that boy down, Dana. Just like Hannah. I feel like I'm jinxed; Everywhere I go, someone gets hurt. Why does it keep happening?"
"Carter, you know that it wasn't your fault"
"Yeah, it was your dad's fault" Carter got up and started pacing
"What do you mean?"
"He made me put out the fire instead of saving that boy! It's his fault the kid's in the hospital!"
"Carter, I know you're angry but blaming others won't help"
Carter stopped and took a deep breath "I know, Dana. It's just that boy reminds me of when my house was on fire"
"Really? What happened?"
"I was trying to save Hannah's plush rabbit, eventually I got trapped in the fire. I thought I would never get out until a firefighter saved my life. I never found out who he was, but from that moment on, I dedicated myself to become a firefighter so I could be just like him. Right now, though, I just don't feel like I'm cut out to be a ranger"
Dana came up to him and hugged him from behind "I don't believe that. If you weren't cut out to be a ranger, my father would have never chosen you. Maybe you should go back to the lot and training area to see what you did wrong"
"That's probably good idea. Thanks"
"Anytime" Carter gave Dana a big hug and then he left. Captain Mitchell watched Carter leave.
I hope he makes the right choice next time he thought to himself.
Training ground
Carter went into the cabin. He looked around for anything that would answer his question. Soon, he found it; next to a doorway where he shot a target, were explosives.
'Explosives'? Why didn't I see those before?
Back in the city, Carter went back to the lot. He saw a blanket and removed it to see a barrel with a flammable sticker on it.
So, that's why Captain Mitchell wanted me to put the fire out, if I hadn't put it out more people could have gotten hurt!
"Sometimes, the obvious choice is the wrong choice" Carter turned around and saw Captain Mitchell
"Those canisters at the training exercise, you knew they would explode"
"It's never easy being a leader. You learn tough lessons everyday"
Just then, another earthquake occurred. Carter's morpher beeped.
"Carter, we need your help" Carter hesitated
"I'm not sure I'm cut out to be a ranger"
"Well, I am" Captain Mitchell said "I'm more sure now than ever. Now go, your friends need your help"
"I'm on my way" Carter said and then he left.
Underground
The rangers have found Vypra and some Batlings creating more earthquakes. The rangers were trying their best to fight them but Vypra was too strong. She blasted power at the rangers and they fell to the ground. She walked to another spike set in the ground and was about to hit it with a hammer but a blaster shot destroyed it. Everyone turned and saw Carter.
"Alright, Carter!"
"I've had enough of your ground shaking games, Vypra. It's time to end this"
"Yeah, the end of you and the other rangers" Vypra drew her sword to fight Carter but Carter didn't fight. Instead he fought the Batlings, he started grabbing all the spikes he could get and destroyed them.
"Everyone, we need to destroy all the spikes"
"Right" the others started to fight the Batlings. They were able to grab all spikes and tossed them into a pile. The rangers got out their blasters and destroyed all of the spikes.
"Curse you rangers! Batlings, destroy them!"
Skull Palace
"The rangers have destroyed all the quake spikes!" Loki said. He got out some monster cards "Perhaps Vypra could use a little help. Jinxer?" He chose one of the cards and handed it to Jinxer
"An excellent idea!" Jinxer threw the monster card into the monster maker and said a spell that caused the monster to form.
Meanwhile, the rangers were still battling the Batlings. Carter saw Vypra retreating. He ran after her. When Vypra came out of the ground with Carter following her, Loki and Jinxer came out.
"Ok, Jinxer do your stuff"
Jinxer said a spell and the monster appeared, but this time he was giant! The other rangers soon came out and stood next to Carter.
"Rescue zords, mobilize!"
The rangers Rail Rescues came out. Their zord doors opened. The rangers got into their zords and formed the megazord. The monster attacked but the Lightspeed Megazord blocked his attacks. At one point, the monster grabbed one of the megazord's legs.
"Ladder arms, power up!"
The arms extended and the megazord flipped and kicked the monster away.
"Lightspeed saber"
The Lightspeed saber appeared.
"Ignite!"
The Lightspeed saber formed a circle of fire and then slashed through it. The slash struck and destroyed the monster.
Hospital
Carter walked into the young boy's room but he wasn't in there.
"Carter?" a voice asked. The boy was standing outside.
"Thanks to you. Someday when I grow up, I want to be just like you"
Carter smiled and handed the kid a gift. Neither noticed that captain Mitchell was watching them.
"I knew he was the right one" Mitchell pulled a stuffed rabbit out of his pocket. "I wonder, if he'll ever learn the truth of who rescued him?" Mitchell shrugged and left Carter and the boy alone.
To Be Continued…
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